


Worthless

by heyimal_ex



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A/B/O verse, Alpha Keith, Fluff, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Langst, M/M, Multi, Omega Lance, alpha shiro, but Lance is a very strong person, but maybe he likes it just a bit, he doesn’t need them to protect him, kind of OOC in the first chapter, omega beta alpha, protective alphas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-26 17:44:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15006050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyimal_ex/pseuds/heyimal_ex
Summary: It wasn’t like Lance wasn’t used to getting discriminated against for being a male omega, it’s just that he wasn’t expecting it. His alphas are there to back him up, though, and he himself won’t let it happen for very long.





	1. A Rude Welcoming

**Author's Note:**

> slightly OOC in the first chapter.  
> Only two chapters, & chapter two will be posted sometime this weekend :)  
> also, little to no read overs for this one - I wrote it at like, 2 AM while having feelings about season 6. If there are any blaring writing or spelling mistakes, please let me know!

Almost every single planet in the universe had, in some way, shape, or form, a secondary gender system. Not all of them’s were similar to Earth’s - some were, and some were completely different. But they all had them, and even for the few that didn’t, they comprehended the idea and relatively understood the importance of them. 

Earth had a stereotypical sort of system - three secondary genders, with two scale extremes and one equal balance in the middle. Alphas, omegas, and betas. They had the same issue that a lot of other planets had in the struggle for equality amongst all three secondary genders, their omega population fighting endlessly for a set amount of rights. Female omegas, seen as “natural“, were taken seriously - but females who were alphas or male omegas had it significantly harder. 

Lance was no different. He started his suppressants the summer before he went off to the Garrison, wanting to make sure his body was well-adapted to them before he arrived. It wasn’t that omegas weren’t allowed, but they were VERY newly permitted, and they got about half the rights of the normal student. And the amount of omegas that suffered harassment and sexual crimes was three times the amount of other students. All of this, including the fact that it was near impossible for omegas to be taken fully seriously, made it obvious to Lance that he should make at least some sort of effort to mask his naturally sweet and endearing omega scent. 

His family wasn’t happy, and neither was Hunk. All of them just wanted Lance to embrace the loving, lovable parts of himself, but they understood his reasoning. Hunk immediately found himself missing the others motherly tone and loving guidance once the pills began to rub away at those behaviors, making the need to do them less strong until he forgot all together. He was less apt to randomly cuddle and although he was still a vital part of the miniature pack him, Hunk and Pidge had created, Hunk found himself deeply missing his best friends omega traits. 

Then, they were sent into space. Knowing that it would just be easier to do sooner rather than later, Lance informed Shiro, Keith, Allura and Coran with a head hung low that, despite his neutral scent and attitude, he was in fact an omega - but they didn’t have to worry about heats interrupting the war, since he was on suppressants. Although Shiro felt bad for making a dear friend fight back his natural instincts, he knew it was for the better of the war and thanked Lance a million times over for not only being honest, but also being so generous and kind as to sacrifice his own secondary gender. 

These opinions began to change as Shiro continued to develop deep feelings for the omega, unknowing to the fact that Keith was right there with him. 

Him and Keith got together first. Although uncommon, it wasn’t unheard of to have a couple consisting of two alphas. It was rare for them to participate in sexual activities, since their natural instincts clashed horribly, but love is a different thing entirely. 

Turns out they didn’t even have to worry about that, though, as a few months into the relationship, a teary conversation revealed that they both had a budding liking towards the blue Paladin of Voltron. And, to layer the good news (and to the overwhelming joy of both Shiro and Keith) Lance was laying in between them no longer than a month and a half after that conversation. 

It was a mutual agreement that Lance should stop his suppressants, but it was originally brought up by Shiro. When Lance looked surprised, and asked what had caused a change in his heart, Shiro had answered honestly that the idea of seeing Lance’s natural omega instincts set a flutter in his chest. That, and he knew that holding back what he naturally wanted to do was both draining and pretty painful, and he didn’t want to force his lover through that. 

“Not that you couldn’t get through them before, but you have mates now that can help you through heats.” A light blush set ablaze on Lance’s facial features, and he nodded slowly his consent. Keith and Shiro both felt a feeling of excitement budding and then blooming within their chest. 

Lance threw out the pills to the next day, much to the pleasure of his mates. His first heat was nearly a month later, announced by the way he scurried around the castle and stole small trinkets and unused clothing from his friends to make his nest in the corner of their room. Shiro and Keith had watched with glistening pride as they experienced their loved become fully attached to his inner omega instincts, but they weren’t the only ones happy. 

Hunk expressed to them one day how good it felt to see Lance being himself again. “He was such a Mom friend when we were younger.” He laughed, back turned to the two alphas as he cracked open the oven to peak inside and check on the cooking dish. “Whenever I got hurt, he would freak out. He would always make sure I was healthy and happy, and he always loved to cuddle. Once he started going on suppressants, he kinda lost those traits. He didn’t have a need to cuddle anymore, he lost that motherly touch. Watching him these past few days, though, I think he’s missed it. He seems really happy.”

“It probably wasn’t easy for him to just mask instincts.” Shiro murmured, staring down at his hands folded in front of him. Keith hummed from agreement beside him, head leaning against Shiro’s bicep and eyes closed as if deep in thought. 

“I’m just happy he seems happier now.” He whispered, and Shiro nodded with understanding. 

“I know. Me too.”

Lance’s first heat went by without a hitch. And then another one three months later, and then another, and then another, and then on the fifth, they finally and fully bonded. Lance walked around proudly, with a bond mark on either side of his neck. His boyfriends, his two mates - with him forever. 

Because of all of this, it was understandable that Shiro and Keith tended to be a little protective of Lance. Not only did his naturally amazingly sweet scent make them dizzy with love, it was also in their DNA to protect their mates and be willing to die for them, especially being alphas and having an omega. They embraced that part of them fully and with a small - they would never complain about taking care of someone they love so much. 

But maybe all of this is why the glare that the planets leader was giving Lance right now was setting their blood afire. 

Voltron had touched landed on the planet and streamed out into a line, backs straight and eyes steady as they waited to greet the leaders of the new member to their alliance. The order went from Allura, to Shiro, Keith, Lance, Hunk, and then Pidge. They had expected this to be easy, but as the aliens flared down at the blue Paladin with a piercing glare, it became very apparent that it wouldn’t be. 

“You see...” the alien spoke with a deep and nasally voice, almost as if a ball of phlegm were stopping g the words from fully leaving his lips. “Here on Ougrier, we are a mostly omega society, but a government made up of alphas. The omegas are...replaceable. They aren’t really Ougry - they’re more just breeding animals we use. I...don’t understand the importance of an omega on a team as important as Voltron.” 

While Shiro struggled to keep the growl from bubbling out of his lips, Keith didn’t even give it an attempt. Lance jumped st the sound and stepped instinctively close to his lovers, hoping his presence would keep them calm. He hadn’t said anything yet - just shrunk back slightly under the almost hateful gaze of the planets natives. 

Shiro opened his mouth to counter the leaders words, but as soon as he did so, Allura began speaking to cut him off. “I apologize, but I’m not sure that’s the right way to speak to a paladin of Voltron. Lance is just as important as all of us, and he has saved you a multitude of times - I demand that you address him with the same level of respect that you address the rest of us.”

The leader seemed taken aback by the words, ready to argue but ultimately deciding against it when he stepped back respectfully. “Of course, Princess. Point taken.”

Allura nodded in a satisfied manner, leading the way by walking forward. Hunk and Pidge followed, Keith, Shiro and Lance moving as a group in the back. The way the alien glared at Lance as he walked by was not lost on anyone, and the omega felt himself gravitating closer to his alpha mates. Neither seemed very bothered by this fact, naturally moving closer to their omega as well.

The second the door of their small break room closed, leaving Hunk, Pidge, Shiro, Keith and Lance all together while Allura went off to have a private meeting with the prince of the planet, Keith and Shiro were on top of Lance. They were kissing and cuddling any part of him that was accessible, ignoring the low groans of protest and disgust the rose from Pidge and Hunk behind them. 

The smell of distress clung to the omega, and the two alphas worked slowly and diligently to remove it by soothing the others high nerves and scenting him with their own smells. They mumbled softly to him, too soft for anyone other than them three to hear ; showering the blue Paladin with compliments. 

Lance took a heavy breath and grounded himself in the moment by doing so, making no attempt to push off the alphas. 

“They’re so rude.” Keith murmured, his voice muffled by his position tucked close to Lance’s neck. The boy himself nodded slowly, eyes trained on the ground in front of him. 

“They have no idea what they’re talking about.” Shiro’s voice was calmer - less angry, and more concerned for his lovers well being. “They’re uneducated. And they don’t know you ; it’s not right to make assumptions like that.” 

Lance gave a slight shrug, slipping out of their arms for s moment just do that he could slide out of his stuffy jacket. “It’s a common thought among planets with dynamics to look down on Omegas. It’s fine, I don’t care, it’s just...” He shrugged slightly and subconsciously reached up, hand wrapping around and gripping his bicep. “It’s a little demeaning sometimes. But I can live with it, Voltron is more important than my feelings.”

Shiro and Keith knew, in the back of their heads, that Lance’s logic was correct, but the thought of their amazing, sweet Omega being put down like that sparked an anger within them. They moved forward once more, pushing Lance down onto the one bed they had been provided and climbing on top to resume their cuddling. Lance let out a soft squeak of surprise, but sunk into the touches quickly and let out a soft sigh through his lips. 

“That doesn’t mean it’s right.” Keith mumbled after a few moments, one hand rubbing his lovers arm and the other bunched in a fist to his side to control the anger that still courses through him. 

Shiro hummed with simple agreement and opened his mouth to say something, but was promptly cut off when there was a soft knock on the door. Scrambling to get off the bed, the Paladins just managed to get into a orderly line when the door swung open and the same planet official from earlier stood in front of them with his arms crossed behind his back. 

“Paladins.” He bowed slightly, regarding the five with a smile. “I hope you found the room a satisfactory temporary resting place, but your Princess and i have reached a mutual agreement that it would be beneficial for everyone if you all stayed here overnight. For that reason, I would greatly appreciate if you all followed me and I will show you to your arranged rooming.”

Lance felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach bubble slightly at the idea of spending more time on this planet, but he quickly buried the feeling - Voltron is more important, not him. He followed his mates out of the room, currently extremely happy to be with them. He always felt slightly off when he was apart from them, anyways, as did they away from him - it was a natural part of a mated humans biology to always want to be around their lover(s). He really couldn’t imagine not having them here, though - not at all. 

“If i could ask,” Pidge inquired in a loud voice in front of them, leading the pack as they followed the leader. “How are our rooms being arranged?”

“Well,” The leader smiled as they walked down the long and twisted hallways, coming to an abrupt stop in front of a relatively fancy-looking door, marks and words in a foreign language etched into the wood. “Almost everything on our planet is separated into the class systems. This is a beta room, so the Green Paladin and Yellow Paladin will be sleeping here tonight.”

Lance pursed his lips. “I’m assuming you have Alpha rooms and Omega rooms, as well.”

The leader turned to him, and it was obvious he was now forcing the smile that trembled upon his lips. “Yes, Blue. I will show the Alphas to their room next, and then you.”

“If it’s alright with you,” Shiro spoke up, sparing a wave to Pidge and Hunk as they slipped into their room. They had heard the conversation, and the angry-beta smells were wafting off of them in loads. “I think Keith and I would like to see the room Lance is in first.”

The leader frowned. “I hear and understand your request, but I’m sorry to tell you it really isn’t in my best interest. I am the leader of this planet, and your room is the closest - I don’t have all day, and to travel all around the castle and then back again is quite a time waster. I hope you understand.” He smiled again. It was forced and Lance felt his stomach turn. He could tell that whatever sleep he was getting tonight probably wouldn’t be good. 

Keith and Shiro weren’t done pushing the subject, though. “You can get one of your servants to show us.” Keith spoke, significantly less formal than Shiro, but getting tactfully to the point. 

“Well-“ the leader started, but Keith shook his head. “Listen man, we’re not going to our room until we see Lance’s, alright? So find a way to make it happen.”

The leaders features grew dark, obviously angered by the short-tempered way Keith was addressing him. He turned that anger towards Lance, who shrunk back slightly so that he was slotted in between his lovers. The man leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he seemed to study every one of Lance’s facial features. 

“Where I come from, Omegas don’t have names.” He said simply. “They don’t deserve it.” Almost immediately, Shiro’s hand was on his chest, pushing him back as a low rumble left both of the alphas. He smiled, straightened back up, and circled around the two to head in the opposite direction. “Follow me!” He called over his shoulders, and all three lovers exchanged looks before beginning to walk. Both Shiro and Keith leaned down to hold one of Lance’s hand each, and Lance let a slight buzz of blooming happiness filter through his scent as he squeezed both of their hands in return. 

To say the room was bad was an understatement. Lance could honestly see a prison cell in that room - it looked exactly like all those times they had infiltrated jails in order to free enslaved political figures and fighters of the rebellion. 

“This is where you expect him to sleep?” Keith was the first to speak from behind him, Shiro’s eyes wide as they scanned the area around them. 

The walls were completely different from the rest of the buildings’, concrete and hastily painted over. The ground itself was hard and chipped under their feet, unlike the sleek and polished wood from the other rooms. But, appearance aside, the room itself was bad. The bed was crickety and shoved into a corner, a blanket thrown haphazardly over the stain-covered mattress. Other than that, the room was completely bare - no bathroom like the betas room, or any other furniture to be seen. 

“Well, you see,” the leader began, arms crossed and leaning on the doorway behind them. “This castle has rooms for Betas and for Alphas. I believe this Omega is the first to ever step foot into this buildings, with the exception of Omegas used for servantry, and they have a separate living quarters. For this reason, we had to clean out a spare room for the Blue Paladin to sleep in.”

“You cleaned out a closet for one of the saviors of the universe to sleep in.” Shiro clarifies, voice low, full of disbelief and a bubbling form of anger. 

The leader shrugged and nodded. He had no words to add. 

“Why don’t you just - I don’t know - allow Lance to sleep with us?” Keith asked, fists clenched and anger barely controlled. He was extremely glad at the moment that he had demanded to see Lance’s room, because he would’ve felt extremely bad if his lover had spent the night there. Not to mention, the door didn’t even have a lock, a detail he noticed when he had walked in - this planet wasn’t exactly kind to Omegas, and the idea of Lance having absolutely zero mods of self-protection had both his blood boiling and a fear set within him. It wasn’t like they brought many weapons to Diplomatic missions, only the basics Incase it was a sabotage - Lance had maybe a knife on him, and that wasn’t enough to fully and completely protect himself. 

Shiro was on the same path of thought, and he found himself bored with trying to hold back both his own and Keith’s anger. “Lance will be sleeping with us tonight.” He leaned forward, gently grabbing Lance’s hand and pulling him a little closer to the two of them. He felt the intense need to protect his lover on this planet, even if he knew Lance had the abilities to do so himself - call it an Alphas instinct. 

“That won’t do.” The leader was obviously done himself with acting sweet and nice, judging by the anger that bubbled forth in his voice. “An Omega May not sleep in an Alpha room. That is the very basis of our society - they are not worthy.”

“Your society is based on cruelty and discrimination.” Keith shot back, the scents of anger pouring off of him in bucketloads. Lance’s hand on his arm, massaging his bicep, did a little to help, but nothing could fully snuff the fire that was growing in his heart. “I don’t understand what we have to say to tell you that Lance is a Paladin of Voltron who has saved you on a multitude of occasions! On top of that, he’s a living being that deserves respect as well as every other Omega you seem to treat like trash on this planet! We won’t allow you to treat our Mate with such little respect.” Keith finished with a warning growl. His fiercely protective Alpha side was not afraid to challenge this man if he dared take a few steps closer to his lover, who clung to his and Shiro’s side. 

“I’m sorry you are mad, Red Paladin.” The leader began slowly, hands raised in front of him defensively as he began his well rehearsed speech from the beginning. “But the culture and traditions of our planet specifically state-“

“Lance isn’t sleeping in this room.” Shiro spoke up, shaking his head as he looked around. “So find a way to fix it. If he can’t sleep in the room with us, the three of us will go sleep in our Lions, but you better know Allura won’t be to happy with that. Treating us - treating Lance - like this to begin With is already grounds for breaking the agreement all together.”

This seemed to get the aliens attention. He swallowed hard, head tilting backwards as he rolled the thought of losing the alliance around in his head. Eventually, his shoulders sagged, and he stepped away from the doorway that he had been previously blocking.

“I will show you all to your Alpha room, but I must request that if you stench it up with the smell of Omega, you find a way to clean it.” Was all he said, and then began walking. Both Shiro and Keith let out angry huffs at the walking figure, hands fitting easily on Lance’s back in a comforting notion as they walked forward. 

The omega himself had his mouth screwed shut and eyes glued to the floor. He didn’t know what to think, never mind said. His fingers fidgeted with each other - or, at least, did, until two strong hands grabbed him once more on either side and squeezed gently. 

God, was he glad his alphas were there. 

 

In about a half an hours time, Shiro, Keith and Lance were all laying in bed, Lance in the middle with his two alphas securely locking their arms around him. Shiro has been sure to double and triple lock the door, and as soon as they had thrown their stuff on to the ground and shoved on some pajamas, they had all but collapsed into bed together. 

“Today’s been...exhausting.” Lance mumbled, but the tone of his voice expressed how much of an understatement that was. For some reason, he wasn’t looking either of his lovers in the eyes, fidgeting with his fingers in front of his face and bouncing his leg underneath the covers, a telltale sign of his anxiousness acting up. 

“Mm.” Keith hummed in agreement, reaching out and taking Lance’s hand so that the fidgeting and fiddling would stop. 

“You haven’t spoken much. Can you tell us how you feel?” Shiro spoke up, eyes gentle as he looked down at his omega mate, wanting nothing more than to soothe whatever seeds of doubt had been planted in their time at this horrible planet. 

“I’m honestly just mostly thinking about how lucky I am to have you guys.” Lance laughed a little, but his voice was thicker than normal, and his eyes were screwed shut before them. “Really. I’m so l-lucky. I have two alphas that c-care about me.”

“Lance,” Shiro spoke in a soft voice, the voice he always used when trying to ground one or both of his lovers in the midst of panic or rocky situations such as this one. “if Keith or I didn’t treat you like royalty, we’d be idiotic. You’re an amazing person, Paladin AND omega. With or without us. I don’t want-I don’t want you to ever think that your worth is dependent on Keith and I.”

“Why do people hate me?” Lance asked suddenly, eyes still trained forward and refusing to meet his lovers. “I-i know I should be used to it by now, since it’s everywhere, but I don’t...why do they hate me so quickly? Why does everyone hate omegas? Why did I have to be born an omega, why-“ he shut up immediately when he felt the tears flowing forth from his eyes, trekking their way down his face as he squeezed his arm unnaturally right in hopes to distract himself. “Shit, and now I’m crying, and being weak, just like they said.” He let out a broken sort of laugh, which only spurred more waterworks. 

“Hey! Hey, no, no-“ Keith was quick, removing the others hand from where it was rooted on his arm and rubbing that area to soothe him instead. “Nope, we’re not doing that. Crying isn’t a weakness, Lance. Alphas cry and betas cry and omegas cry because people cry. A-And I don’t know why people hate omegas, but it’s wrong. And me and Shiro wouldn’t want you any other way, you know? We love you just the way you are, omega included.” He leaned forward and gently began to scent the other, hoping the familiar scent would wash over Lance and calm him. To be honest, he was just desperate to get rid of the thick scent of omega distress that hung heavy in the area around them. 

Shiro matched his actions, each one of them nuzzling against one side of his neck. “I can feel the insecurity rolling off of you in waves, baby. I get it - it can’t be easy to be told that type of stuff - but we really want you to understand that it’s not real. You’re of worth no matter your status.”

Lance let out a soft hum, pulling himself together with a quick shaking out of his limbs and a harsh nod. “O-Okay. Thank you. Sorry for being like...this. It’s been weird here.”

Shiro hummed, but looked off to the side in a slightly nervous manner. “I think we should sleep. Instinct tells me this won’t be the end of it, but you don’t have to worry, Lance. Me and Keith will be with you the entire time.”

With a gentle nod, Lance buried himself deep between his two lovers and let his eyes slowly slide shut as drowsiness overtook him.


	2. The Pot Boils Over

Lance, if he were being completely honest, could’ve stayed asleep for a considerable amount of time in that position, squished between his two loves. He didn’t get an amazing amount of sleep on the ship, although that’s expectable, considering the fact they were fighting in a war. Regardless, laying there with the warmth of both Shiro and Keith heating him up from the inside out, he found the idea of moving one hard to swallow. 

The choice was taken from him when, around an hour before they were supposed to be up for breakfast, a soft yet powerful knock echoed against the frame of their door. Three soft groans echoed the room before immediately being followed with the shuffling of sheets, Shiro dragging himself up to deal with the issue. He didn’t want to send Lance, all considering, and he could tell from the general air being emitted from Keith that the fellow alpha still wasn’t over his anger, so he volunteered himself to answer the knocks. 

The second he opened the door, relief filled him instantaneously. “Hello, Princess.” He greeted, followed by a slight bow as Allura smiled and returned the sentiment with a soft “Good morning.”

“I apologize for waking you up early, but I just wanted to check up and have a small conversation. Can I come in?” Lance groaned softly to himself but scurried to get up anyways, sitting on the edge of the bed while Keith was already up and fully changed. 

Shiro gave a simple nod to the request and stepped back, leaving the door open to allow Allura in. She smiled and immediately took the offer, entering the room and glancing around as if to survey it. 

“Again,” she started rather quickly, obviously wanting to get to the point as proficiently as possible. “I’m sorry for waking you all up earlier than you had to, but I felt the need to share my plan with you. As you can tell, this planet hasn’t been very...kind, towards Lance.”

Keith snorted from where he was standing, leaning against the wall and rolling his eyes. Shiro had sat back down, placing one hand on his Cuban lovers knee and watching his Korean’s fiddling fingers. Allura studies their dynamic with slight curiosity, yet still continues to talk. 

“Since you’re a paladin of Voltron, Lance, I really cannot stand hearing people address you in this way. I went to the Royals myself today and made it very clear that if you were not addressed with as much respect as the rest of us, the alliance is off and we will simply leave. He looked scared, so I believe he’ll take it.”

Lance felt his shoulders relax slightly and a reassured sigh leave his mouth, attracting the attention of both his lovers. “Thank you, Allura. You didn’t have to, but thank you.”

Allura smiled as she watched Shiro lean over, sleepily burying his head into Lance’s neck and wrapping a prosthetic arm around his belly. “Of course. I want you to report to me if anything happens, alright?”

Lance, trying to fight back the giggles that came with Shiro’s arm wrapped around his belly, nodded softly. “I’ll tell you. Hopefully nothing happens today.”

Allura rose once more, nodding. “Hopefully, yes. I’ll be going now. Have a good morning and I’ll see you in an hour. And...Lance?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t allow them to speak to you like that. You have a powerful voice and I can tell that you are biting your tongue, for Voltron’s sake. I, of course, appreciate your cause, but...” she sighed and shook her head, looking off in the direction of the hallway. “Speak your mind and stand up for yourself if they do that again. And don’t you dare be ashamed of you are.”

Lance found a wide grin spreading across his face from ear to ear, and a small, light hearted giggle left his lips. “Thank you, Princess. I will keep that in mind.” 

The second the door closed behind Allura, both of Lance’s boyfriends were on top of him, kissing his lips, cheeks, forehead, nose and anywhere else they could reach on his face. The omega laughed heartily, attempting to wriggle out of the others arms but immediately giving up when he realized how little he wanted to lose their warmth. 

“How’re you doing?” Shiro asked promptly after cuddling his face into the side of the others neck, humming and drinking in the scent of a dazzlingly happy omega. Keith did the same, hand drifting down to the others stomach and resting there for the time being, rubbing small circles into the skin. 

“Okay.” Lance hummed, turning his head so that he was resting cheek to cheek with the smaller of his two alphas. “A little shaken - a little nervous. But still, I’m okay.”

Keith hummed in response, only moving closer to the omega. “I wish we could rest, but we should probably get up and start getting ready. I want to get off this planet as soon as possible, so let’s get today over with.”

Shiro nodded his agreement and rose upwards, taking a whining Lance with him with a smile upon his cheeks. He turned to help the other out of bed, hands resting on his hips for a few moments before pulling away to grab their clothing. 

Within thirty earth minutes they were ready and down to the food hall - ten extra minutes being factored in to equate for the fact that they got lost in the confusing, twisting halls of the planets castle. As soon as Lance laid eyes on the seating arranged, he was reminded with a small, painful constriction of his heart what the planet they were residing in was like. At the very front of the table sat three neat nameplates - Allura, followed by both of his alphas. Hunk and Pidge’s were right next to their teammates, followed by several officers of the planet before Lance’s, situated at the very end. Lance could tell the situation had ticked off Keith from the way the other clenched his fists and his slightly sour smell filled the space around him, but he placed a reassuring hand on the others bicep to diffuse the situation. 

“They’re obviously not gonna stop, so let’s just get through the day and go home as soon as possible.” He sighed and nodded slightly towards the king as he walked past his alphas to sit down. With his back turned, Lance didn’t see, but the dirty look the ruler gave their omega did not go unnoticed by his mates. 

Allura wasn’t happy with this situation either. She thought she had clarified with the King the respect she expected Lance to receive, but he didn’t seem to comply. She found herself biting her lip. It was a tough situation. The supplies this planet contained would be highly valuable to Voltron, and it wasn’t an alliance Allura could let go of easily. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself of her anger. Lance looked a little upset, but overall fine - and once they left this place, they would never set foot on it again, just communicate with them from the castle. They could handle that, right? She hated the fact she was going back on her word - it sent out an image of weakness - but she found herself defeated in the situation. 

She would apologize to Lance later, she decided, and took her seat at the front of the table. 

“I’m getting really sick of this.” Keith mumbled to Shiro, arm slipping into his. Shiro himself mumbled out a response, but kept his eyes trailed in front of him. Keith couldn’t blame him. “I hate how they’re treating Lance, but I think I hate the fact that he seems so used to it more. What do we do?”

Shiro sighed softly, allowing his shoulders to sag in a defeated manner. “As much as I don’t like it, Lance doesn’t want to cause a scene, and I can understand that. Maybe we just...bite our tongues for now. If they, however, get to be too much or threaten Lance in any way...” his grip on the others arm tightened at the mere thought, and Keith heard his message loud and clear. 

“Understood and agreed.” He mumbled. Together, they took their seats, holding hands as they missed the presence of their omega. The smaller of the three sat at the completely opposite end of the table, where soldiers and officials of the planet chattered. They seemed to make it an obvious point to ignore him - speaking in their native tongue but then occasionally slipping into English, as if just to tease him, before switching right back. The Paladin simply squeezed his hands in hurt and anger beneath the tables surface, reminding himself with a calm mind that all he had to do was wait for the ending of the meal. As soon as they finished this up, they could head back to the castle, where Lance would be seen as an equal and not as something squished beneath an Alpha’s or Beta’s shoe. 

“Attention please, everyone.” The ruler of the planet - a proud and chunky alpha - stood at one end of the table, lightly tapping the equivalent of an earth spoon against a cup made of unknown minerals. “It is to my understanding that on Earth, there is a tradition in which people raise their glass in agreement to good news. So, a...Toast. To the unity of Voltron and Ougrier.” Everyone, although some were clearly quite confused, copied his movements and a general grunt of agreement moved through the room. 

Lance lowered his glass slowly and glanced down at the liquid, face scrunching in disgust when he noticed the unnatural pink color and bubbly texture. Knowing it would be rude to deny it, however, he simply shrugged, held his breath, and took a sip of the liquid. Surprisingly, it didn’t taste too bad - similar maybe to Diet Coke back at home, but more spicy. He shrugged with finality and continued to drink, missing the slight sting occurring at the back of his throat. 

Allura engaged in an Official conversation with the King while everyone either idly chatted or sat in silence, the Paladins included. Hunk and Pidge whispered and giggled to one another, while Keith and Shiro spoke softly and kept glancing on over at Lance. The omega was tying to keep his eyes on his beautiful glass, considering the fact the soldiers around him didn’t seem too excited about their seating arrangement. Lance had a need to ask them how it was his fault - their not-so-concealed looks of anger and small grunts of displeasure did nothing to hide the fact they were disgusted to be seated next to an omega - but he ultimately decided to bite his tongue. 

This isn’t so bad after all, he tried to tell himself. It was a little awkward, but it wasn’t like anyone could touch him or hurt him. Not only was he a Paladin of Voltron, making hurting him a practical crime, but his alphas were right across from him. 

He felt his fists tighten. He had to erase any thoughts of himself being useless without Keith or Shiro, or needing them to be okay. Although it was hard to keep in mind in a situation such as this, he had always held a strong belief that omegas were not defined by their alphas, as some planets believed. He was strong because he was Lance, not because he was dating two strong alphas. He didn’t need them to protect him, but that didn’t mean having them around didn’t make him feel just the tiniest bit safer. 

He snapped out of his train of thought when a small, sharp pain occurred in his lower abdomen. He shifted in hopes of relieving the tension, but only resulted in heightening it - to a point where, knowingly or not - he gripped his stomach, moaning ever so softly. 

The looks that the soldiers around him gave, all full of relative happiness, is what connected the dots inside of his head. Anger filled him, and any sealed lips that had been before now opened hotly. He clambered to his feet, getting the attention of everyone around them. Keith and Shiro, upon noticing the way their lover clutched his stomach and furrowed his eyebrows in pain, were next to him in milliseconds. Both helped to support him and softly asked him to come down so that they could ask what was wrong. Lance, however, had no intention of standing down. 

“You know...” he groaned out, Keith holding on hand and Shiro holding the other as they did their best to steady him. He resembled someone who was so drunk they could barely remember their own name, but the purpose and determination behind Lance’s eyes was clear. “I get having your own laws. I couldn’t agree less with them, and quite frankly, you have a planet full of self-absorbed, prejudice, discriminatory assholes, and I can’t even comprehend why the Galra would want to come within five LIGHTYEARS of this place because of how horrible it is, but that’s not my place to judge. However-“ His body was wracked with coughs, blood spurting through his lips and decorating his chin and shirt. “I don’t care what you’re beliefs or opinions are, you c-can’t POISON someone!” 

The kings eyes narrowed and silence fell over the court, all the soldiers keeping their eyes down and the Kings face going red with either embarrassment or anger. Allura was the first to act, jumping up and shuffling into the next room to call for Coran to get a healing pod ready immediately. 

“That’s a rather bold claim.” The King said easily, the words sounding well-rehearsed. “Whose to say you’re human body just can’t handle the liquid? Or that you don’t just have an illness that’s causing all of these issues?”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Lance shot back, emotion running high in his voice. “Jesus Christ, I’m not an idiot! I know well enough to know a stomach bug from my insides curling in on each other and news flash, I’ve definitely got the second!”

“Why would I be stupid enough to poison a paladin of Voltron?” the King shot back within seconds, although now, he looked a little more nervous. 

“The same reason you were willing to do everything else to me that you’ve already done, because you don’t see me as a person! Omegas are inferior to you - lesser than’s, so what’s the harm in killing one, right? But you’re so close minded you didn’t see the fact that no one else except the people on your closed-off little planet would agree with you! You poisoned me because you’re an idiot!” 

The king opened his mouth to retort with a third excuse, but the sound of Allura’s heavy footsteps cut him off. Her present was deafening, causing for him to immediately look to her and listen. 

“This alliance is off.” She spoke evenly but the anger was rumbling, ready to burst forth. “I can’t believe I didn’t say it before. To not only treat one of my Paladins like trash, but also attempt to kill him. I should have you arrested under Galactic Law. I just might. But for now,” she turned to the trio, hurriedly ushering for them to follow. “Coran has a healing pod ready. Hurry. Hunk and Pidge, you come too. We’re leaving this planet,” she shot the leader one last look. “And we’re not coming back.”

Keith and Shiro didn’t waste any time. They assisted Lance in getting off the chair, hands holding him steady. The pain seated in his stomach roared to life when he moved, and Lance had to bite back a whimper of pain. He had been strong so far and he didn’t plan on ruining that. 

As they made their way towards the exit, with Shiro and Keith practically carrying Lance out, the Kings voice rang one last time. 

“Am I supposed to believe you’re strong when you need your omegas to carry you out?”

Normally, Shiro is the calm one. He has a disposition full of pacifism - no need to hurt anyone or anything on purpose (except maybe the Galra). In this moment, however, he could’ve swarm he saw red as he spun his head around, careful not to jostle his wounded mate. 

“After all that and you still don’t get it. Whose the one who was smart enough to put your entire plot and motive together? Lance doesn’t need me or Keith. He can be strong by himself. You’ll just never learn that.”

They left the room before hearing his response. 

And, when Shiro and Keith let out a soft breath of relief after seeing the Pods analysis come back telling them Lance was free of all poisons, they embraced him fully, in love and so, so proud. 

Lance was proud of himself, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was that ending too sudden, or good? 
> 
> Expect some more writing soon! Since it’s the summer, I FINALLY have time to work on personal projects! I have a rick & morty blurb coming out I like a lot, as well as some ideas for Yuuri on Ice!! and a BIG, 45-50k Undertale fic i wrote forever ago that I recently refound & am touching up. 
> 
> If you have any interests in following my other writing, follow me on tumblr! @adearinaforest OR @be-more-boyf-riends


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